Lattice-work blocks for regenerator chambers



May 21, 1968 K. POTOCNIK 3,334,359

LATTICEFWORK BLOCKS FOR REGENERATOR CHAMBERS Filed April 1, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 l 2 Fiqi W JIM MW Fig. 2

IN VEN TOR.

Kurr Potocnik ATTORNEYS K. POTOCNIK 3,384,359

LATTICEPWORK BLOCKS FOR REGENERATOR CHAMBERS May 21, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1966 Sing Pocket Plug/- INVENTOR. Kurr Porocnik BY flmfiz, M91 EMA ATTORNEYS May 21, 1968 K. POTOCNIK 3,384,359

LATTICE-WORK BLOCKS FOR REGENERATOR CHAMBERS Filed April 1. 1966 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.lO Fig.||

INVENTOR.

Ku U Porocnik WM, of foam/0% A TTOR/VEYS United States Patent 3,384,359 LATTICE-WORK BLOCKS FOR REGENERATOR CHAMBERS Kurt Potocnik, Wiesbad'en, Germany, assignor to Didier- Werlre A.G., Wiesbaden, Germany Filed Apr. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 539,445 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 7, 1965, D 46,981; Apr. 27, 1965, D 31,160 7 Claims. (Cl. 263-51) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Lattice-work construction of a regenerator chamber for an industrial furnace wherein rectangular blocks are arranged in spaced layers lengthwise of the regenerator chamber. The lattice-work blocks are arranged transversely of said rectangular blocks with supporting heads at the ends supporting the rectangular blocks. A central portion on the lattice-work blocks is positioned between the layers with the supporting heads on the rectangular blocks so that the central portion makes an angle relative to the layers of rectangular blocks corresponding to a desired flow path of the flue gases through the regenerator chamber. The supporting heads are polygonal in crosssection to form a plurality of plane supporting surfaces disposed at a predetermined angle relative to said central portion.

The invention relates to the lattice-work of regenerator chambers for industrial furnaces, more especially Siemens- Martin furnaces.

An object of the invention is to provide relatively staggered layers of rectangular blocks arranged lengthwise of the regenerator chamber, and lattice work blocks arranged at right angles to and transversely of said rectangular blocks disposed in aligned or relatively displaced or offset arrangement, said lattice work blocks being provided with supporting heads at the ends thereof and with a central part having a longitudinal axis larger than its transverse axis.

Lattice-works for regenerative chambers are known, wherein in general blocks of quadratic or rectangular form are employed. The individual block layers are arranged in these at right angles to each other, the individual series being displaced above each other or generally arranged vertically above each other, so that vertical smoothw-alled shafts are formed.

Lattice-works are also known which have smooth walls which are spaced apart equally by interposed connecting blocks. Connector blocks have also been used which are provided with supporting heads at their ends and a flowenhancing, e.g. oval-shaped, central part with an upward axis which is longer than its longitudinal axis. In such constructions, the connector blocks are disposed so that the upward axis of the central part extends perpendicularly of the longitudinal axis of the rectangular blocks.

In all these known lattice-work constructions, however, considerable difficulties are encountered in practice. Above all, the efficiency of the chamber packing as a heat exchanger is considerably prejudiced as a result of the fact that, in the course of the heat-exchange operation, the heating agent, the flue gases, as well as the countercurrently moving material to be heated, the combustion air, pass diagonally through the regenerator chamber, whereby wide dead-flow corners are formed at both chamber front walls which therefore do not function as heat accumulators and as heat suppliers. Moreover, on the flue gas inlet side of the regenerator chamber, the flow channels are relatively rapidly encrusted and clogged by encrustations of soot entrained by the flue gases. The result- 3,384,359 Patented May 21, 1968 ant flow resistance soon becomes inimical to operation of the furnace which therefore has to be stopped. It is an object to overcome the above disadvantages.

In contrast to the known lattice-work constructions, the lattice-work according to the invention is characterized by the fact that the lengthwise-arranged rectangular blocks with abutting front sides form a series of such blocks in conventional manner and the lattice-work blocks are so positioned with their supporting heads on the rectangular blocks that the upward axis of the central part of the lattice-work blocks assumes that angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the rectangular blocks which corresponds to the desired direction of flow of the materials through the regenerator chamber.

A further object of the invention makes it possible to achieve a desired, predetermined and technically favorable flow of the material through the regenerator chamber, regardless of the configuration which may even be an arcuate chamber. Furthermore, by suitable arrangement of the profiled lattice-work blocks, the flow path through the regenerator chamber can be appreciably lengthened in comparison to known lattice-work constructions, so that a bet- 'ter utilization of the regenerator chamber from the standpoint of heat accumulation as well as of heat exchange is realized, without increase in flow resistance.

The central part of the lattice-work blocks, which may be in the form of an elongated oval, acts as a guiding surface for the flowing material during its passage through the regenerator chamber. The lattice-work construction according to the invention provides a hitherto unknown variation possibility with respect to arrangement.

As a result of the fact that the profiled lattice-work blocks is such, because of the positioning in the regenerator chamber, that the central part of the block is arranged to correspond to the inflow angle of the flue gas covering into the regenerator chamber, only the narrow sides of the lattice-work blocks engage the inflowing flue gas as baflle surfaces therefor, whereby only a small area is available for deposition of soot entrained by the flue gas. The soot deposits, which are usually concentrated on the two to four uppermost lattice-work layers, are thus more uniformly distributed on a much larger number of block layers in the regenerator chamber. The result is that a much longer operating period is possible before the flow resistance is increased by soot accumulation.

A further object is to provide a lattice-work which requires only two types of blocks, one of which is the simple inexpensive conventional block.

In order to avoid difficulties when positioning the lattice-work blocks to achieve the angle which the upward axis of the central part is to assume relative to the vertical, and which may be different in the passage through the regenerator chamber, various advantageous embodiments of supporting heads are possible. In this Connection, it can be advantageous that the supporting heads be arranged in such a position on the central part of the latticework blocks that the angle formed between the two adjacent supporting surfaces be halved by the upward or transverse axis of the central part, or that the supporting heads be so arranged at the central part that one of the sides of the cross-section of the supporting head extends perpendicularly to the direction of the upward or transverse axis of the central part.

The supporting heads can also be constructed with an uneven number of surfaces, i.e. they may for example have a pentagonal cross-section.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear from the following detailed description some exemplary embodiments of the lattice-work and blocks according to the invention are shown in the drawings in which: i

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a portion of a lattice-work with blocks having rectangular supporting heads.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a portion of a lattice-work with blocks having octagonal supporting heads.

FIG. 3 is a sectional View on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a portion of a lattice-work with an arrangement of the lattice-work blocks at various angles.

FIG. 5 shows diagrammatically a lattice-work of a regenerator chamber.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a lattice-work block.

FIG. 7 is a section on line 77 of FIG. 6.

FIGS. 8 to 11 show various forms of supporting heads.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a lattice-work block mounted on rectangular blocks.

In the lattice-work according to FIG. 1, the latticework blocks 1 consist of a central part 2, the longitudinal axis of which is longer than its transverse axis and of supporting heads 3 at both ends of the central part 2. The supporting heads have a square cross-section so that four supporting surfaces are formed. The supporting heads 3 are so arranged on the central part 2 that the diagonal of the square cross-section coincides with the upward axis of the central part. A lattice-work block 1 thus constructed provides two possibilities of mounting on the rectangular blocks, i.e. at an inclination of 45 of the transverse axis relative to the longitudinal axis of the rectangular blocks 5 toward one side or the other.

The supporting heads 3 can also be e.g. hexagonal or, as shown in FIG. 3, at 3' can have an octagonal crosssection. This affords the possibility, depending upon the angle which the supporting surfaces 4 form relative t the transverse axis of the central part 2, to impart to the lattice-work block various angular positions on the rectangular block 5.

This variation possibility in the angular position of the upward axis of the central part 2 relative to the rectangular blocks 5 gives lattice-work construction possibilities such as are shown for example in FIGS. 4 and 5. In this connection, the central part 2 of the lattice-work block functions in the manner of a guide surface so that the flow is guided e.g. along an S-shaped, i.e. elongated, path through the chamber. See FIG. 5.

FIGS. 6 to 11 show possiblilites of construction of the lattice-work blocks 1 with correspondingly constructed supporting heads 3, 3' and 3 for use in lattice-work according to the invention.

It is also possible to employ rectangular blocks, the upper and/or lower sides of which are provided with recesses corresponding to the configuration of the supporting heads 3, 3 or 3".

It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it is apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its material advantages, the forms hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings being merely preferred embodiments thereof.

I claim:

1. A lattice-work block for a regenerator chamber comprising supporting heads at the ends thereof, a central portion located between said supporting heads having a longitudinal axis longer than its transverse axis, said supporting heads having a polygonal cross-section thereby defining a plurality of supporting surfaces.

2. A lattice-work block as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surfaces are even in number.

3. A lattice-work block as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surfaces are positioned angularly to the transverse axis of said central portion.

4. Lattice-work construction of a regenerator chamber for an industrial furnace such as Siemens-Martin furnace comprising rectangular blocks arranged in spaced layers lengthwise of the regenerator chamber, lattice-work blocks arranged transversely of said rectangular blocks, supporting heads at the ends of said lattice-work blocks supporting said rectangular blocks, a central portion on said lattice-work blocks having a longitudinal axis longer than its transverse axis positioned between said layers, said supporting heads being positioned on said rectangular blocks so that said central portion makes an angle relative to the layers of said rectangular blocks corresponding to a desired flow path of the flue gases through the regenerator chamber, said supporting heads being polygonal in cross-section to form a plurality of plane supporting surfaces disposed at a predetermined angle relative to said central portion.

5. A lattice-work construction as set forth in claim 4 wherein said supporting heads are provided with an even number of surfaces.

6. .A lattice-work construction according to claim 4 wherein said supporting heads are arranged in such a position on said central portion that the angle formed between two adjacent supporting surfaces is halved by the transverse axis of said central portion.

7. A lattice-work construction as set forth in claim 4 wherein said supporting heads are arranged on said central portion so that one of the supporting surfaces is perpendicular to the direction of said central portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 301,048 6/1884 Cuthbert 2635l 1,500,455 7/1924 Hogbin et al 2635l 2,467,166 4/1949 Thorpe 2635l FOREIGN PATENTS 1,118,237 3/1956 France. 1,110,190 7/1961 Germany.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, 111., Primary Examiner. A. D. HERRMANN, Assistant Examiner. 

